author

William Staats

A New York writer and educator, he drew deeply on the Hudson River region, family history, and his own long life to tell warm, personal stories. His books blend local memory with a plainspoken sense of humor and affection for place.

1 Audiobook

A tight squeeze : or, The adventures of a gentleman, who, on a wager of ten thousand dollars, undertook to go from New York to New Orleans in three weeks without money, as a professional tramp.

A tight squeeze : or, The adventures of a gentleman, who, on a wager of ten thousand dollars, undertook to go from New York to New Orleans in three weeks without money, as a professional tramp.

by William Staats

About the author

Born in Albany, New York, in 1932, he grew up in Hoogebergh and Rensselaer and later studied at New York State Teachers' College at Albany, now the University at Albany. From 1952 to 1954, he paused his studies to serve in the U.S. Navy before returning to education and a teaching career.

He went on to teach in secondary schools in Chatham and Hudson, New York, and later became a professor and chair of the Accounting Department at Hudson Valley Community College. Alongside his academic work, he wrote books shaped by his ties to the Hudson Valley and his interest in personal and regional history.

His published works include Three Centuries on the Hudson River and Aging Suddenly at 83, part of his "On the Hudson" trilogy. He died in 2018, remembered not only as an author but also as a teacher, traveler, and community-minded storyteller.